Tonight's NBA slate is headlined by an NBA Finals rematch between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. We'll have something for you on that one, but you aren't going to want to miss our other picks either.
1. Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards - 7:30 p.m. ET (If you haven't already taken this one, it's best to ignore it. Both teams were gutted by moves made at the trade deadline)
The Nets just traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, and this team is really shorthanded at the moment. With this being a road game, Kyrie Irving will be on the floor for Brooklyn. However, he's going to be surrounded by a lot of green players that normally don't see real rotation minutes. And while Bradley Beal is out for Washington, the Wizards still have guys like Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It might not seem like all that much, but these are real NBA rotation players facing a Nets team that has lost nine games in a row and is coming off one of the most dramatic weeks in the history of the NBA. It's best not to overthink this one and to just ride with the home team.
THE PICK: Wizards -2.5
2. New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors - 10:00 p.m. ET
The Warriors are going to have a bad taste in their mouths after being blown out by the Utah Jazz last night, and they now get Klay Thompson back in the lineup for a meeting with the lowly Knicks. Golden State's top-ranked defense has been a bit worse with Draymond Green sidelined indefinitely, but it should be good enough to stifle a New York offense that can be absolutely brutal to watch, at times. The Warriors also happen to have the most explosive backcourt to ever play the game, and Steph Curry and Thompson should give the Knicks nightmares. Curry has had an off year thus far, but the Knicks can't defend the perimeter. This is the perfect get-right opportunity for him. The Knicks are 4-14 against the spread as underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points this season. Meanwhile, Golden State is 31-18 against the spread as a home favorite since the start of last year. The Knicks will also be without RJ Barrett in this one.
THE PICK: Warriors -8.5
3. Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns - 10:00 p.m. ET
In one of the more anticipated matchups of the entire season, the Suns host the Bucks in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals. This game will be played in front of a crazy Phoenix crowd that will be extremely loud in helping its team get some revenge for that series. This time around, Chris Paul is completely healthy and playing some unbelievable basketball. Meanwhile, Devin Booker has also taken a sizable leap as a player since that series. On top of that, the Suns added some depth to the frontcourt in adding JaVale McGee over the summer. That means that Giannis Antetokounmpo won't be able to completely bully Phoenix when Deandre Ayton is on the bench. Overall, the Suns are just going to be the hungrier team in this game. And with Brook Lopez out, the Suns could feast in the paint. They're also 4-1 against the spread in their last five games against teams with winning records, so Phoenix has been handling its business against good competition recently.
THE PICK: Suns -3
